Join us for our annual awards luncheon to honor those who have made significant contributions to the arts community this year in Missoula! The luncheon takes place on Tuesday, March 29, at the Doubletree Hotel from 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM.

Two University of Montana School of Music students and one Missoula Hellgate High School student recently won the Northwest Division of the Music Teachers National Association's Young Artist String Chamber Music Competition. The trio now advances to San Antonio as one of the six national finalists on April 2. The Missoula Piano Trio, which comprises UM graduate student Adam Sears of Missoula on the piano, UM senior Sarah Harmsworth of Bonner on the violin and Hellgate High School student David Harmsworth, Sarah's brother, on the cello. Their performance edged out well-qualified ensembles from Washington and Oregon for the win.

Before the national finals they will perform their competition repertoire for Missoula audiences in
UM's Music Recital Hall. The program will include Dmitri Shostakovich's "Piano Trio in C minor, Op. 8" and Ludwig van Beethoven's "Piano Trio in D Major, Op. 70, No. 1." The trio will perform:

'Stuttering Comedian' Nina G Will Present One-Woman Show and Workshop at UM

Nina G, who bills herself as "The West Coast's Only Female Stuttering Comedian," will perform her one-woman show,
"Going Beyond Inspirational," at 7:00 PM on Monday, March 21, in the University Center Theater. Nina G is a comedian, social activist, and author. Her performance is free and open to the public. It may contain mature content not suitable for some audiences.

The UM School of Theatre & Dance celebrates an evening of sophisticated and cutting-edge original choreography in its production of Dance in Concert. New works conceived by guest artists, students, and faculty from the nationally and internationally renowned UM Dance Program will share UM's beautiful Montana Theatre's stage. Join us in experiencing these seven inspiring new dance works with styles including contemporary modern dance, hip-hop, dance theatre, and multimedia dance fusion.

The Moradokmai Theatre Community and Homeschool from Patumthani, Thailand, will present Wessandon: the lost track nirvana in the Masquer Theatre of the Performing Arts and Radio/Television Center on campus Tuesday, March 22, at 7:30 PM. This is Moradokmai's third US tour that has included a stop at the School of Theatre & Dance. Admission is free, but donations are welcome to support the Moradokmai Theatre Community and Homeschool.

The performance is a musical play with contemporary live Thai music and dance. It is directed by "Kruchang" Janaprakal Chandruang, the well-known Thai dramatist and actor who founded the Moradokmai Theatre Community and Homeschool. Kruchang completed his MA degree at the University of Montana School of Theatre & Dance in 1979 before returning to Thailand to commence his outstanding career in performing and teaching.

Join international dance instructor, Sharmila Ganguly Bhartari, for an introduction to Odissi, the mother of all the classical dances of India, on Saturday, March 26 at the Downtown Dance Collective, 121 W Main Street.

Two one-hour dance classes will begin at 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM. Dances taught will vary in the two classes, so you are welcome to sign up for both classes. Each class is $10. Enjoy learningOdissi Dance - The Divine Art, and help the Missoula International Friendship Program (MIFP).

President's Lecture Series: The Commonalities and Differences Between the Arts and Sciences

Roald Hoffmann, winner of the 1981 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, will give a seminar and lecture on Monday, March 21 at the University of Montana. The seminar, "Two New Games for Carbon," will be held from 3:10 - 4:30 PM in the Gallagher Business Building, Room 123; followed by his lecture, "The Commonalities and Differences Between the Arts and Sciences," in the Dennison Theatre at 8:00 PM. Both are free and open to the public.

The Mansfield Center at the University of Montana presents "Exploring Climate Change and Culture in the Vietnam Delta," a lecture by Nicky Phear, program coordinator, UM Climate Change Studies Program; and Dan Spencer, associate professor, UM Environmental Studies Program. The lecture takes place on Wednesday, March 23, from 12:10 - 1:00 PM in the Mansfield Center Conference Room. The lecture is free and open to the public.

The spring 2016 Brown Bag Lecture Series reflect the center's mission to promote an understanding of Asia, public affairs and ethics. Topics of this semester's lectures include wildlife conservation in Southeast Asia, renewable energy and human health, and the connections between language and culture.

Arts Conversation with
National Endowment for the Arts Chairman, Jane Chu

Chairman Chu is visiting Montana as part of the NEA's 50th Anniversary Celebration. We'll hear an update on NEA initiatives and programs, and there will be opportunity for Q&A. Please plan to join us on March 30 at Missoula Children's Theatre from 12:30 - 1:30 PM. Admission is free, but seating is limited. Please RSVP here.

READINGS

Fact & Fiction Book Reading

Fact & Fiction Books in downtown Missoula is thrilled to welcome author, C.J. Box, to read and sign his new novel, Off The Grid, on
Wednesday, March 23 at 7:00 PM.

Poet
Mary Szybist will read from her work at 7:00 PM, Friday, March 25, in the
Turner Hall Dell Brown Room at the
University of Montana. The event is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by UM's Creative Writing Program and the President's Writers-in-Residence Series.

Szybist is most recently the author of "Incarnadine," winner of the 2013 National Book Award for Poetry. She also is the recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center, and the Witter Bynner Foundation in conjunction with the Library of Congress. Her first book, "Granted," was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and winner of the Great Lakes Colleges Association's New Writers Award. She lives in Portland, Oregon, where she teaches at Lewis & Clark College.

SPARK! Arts Ignite Learning, Missoula's chapter of the Kennedy Center's Any Given Child initiative, is seeking a Director to lead the initiative. SPARK! is a community wide partnership working to expand arts programming in Missoula County Public Schools. We facilitate and foster connections between district schools, local arts organizations, and teaching artists helping to ensure access to the arts for all MCPS students.

The Montana Book Festival is a celebration of literary arts held each fall in downtown Missoula that seeks to provide a dynamic, evolving forum for literary engagement, as well as to foster literary community and enthusiasm for the written word by among readers of all ages.

Student Art Contest: Search For Peace

The Jeannette Rankin Peace Center is hosting its annual Search for Peace student art contest during March and April. The theme this year is: welcoming others as a way of finding and promoting peace within our community. Students are encouraged to express what they feel it means to be welcoming toward others and how that is expressed both daily and in times of crisis and discrimination. Accepted entries may include any form of artwork, essays, poetry, and photography.

The contest is open to all ages from kindergarten to university students and there will be cash prizes for the winners in each category: Elementary School, Middle School, High School, College, and Collaborative (two or more students). Submissions are due Friday, April 22, to the Jeannette Rankin Peace Center at 519 S. Higgins. Submissions must be accompanied by an entry form which can be picked up at the Peace Center or select locations. More information is available by email or call 543-3955.

Prize money will be awarded to the first place winner in each age group, and the art will be displayed on First Friday, May 6.

River City Roots Festival is Seeking Artists

Applications are due April 1 for the art show at River City Roots Festival in Missoula, which will take place August 26 - 27.
The art show hours are 11 AM - 7 PM both days and daily set up time is at 8 AM. The booth fee is $150 for both days; $175 for a double booth and/or a booth needing power. The artists must commit to being present both days. Please click here to view the application and submit online.

Roots Fest is a showcase of high-end visual arts. More than 30 artists from the Pacific Northwest participate in the Juried Show featuring painting, photography, pottery, sculpture, jewelry, textile arts and wood; all front and center on Main Street both days of the festival. This component of Roots Fest creates an all around experience for those who appreciate fine art both visually and musically.

Zootown Fringe Festival

Registration is open for Missoula's annual
ZooTown Fringe Festival.
ZooTown Fringe is a self-produced festival; participants are responsible for staging and promoting their own projects. The Fringe promotes the festival as a whole; the participants are responsible for ensuring patrons are aware and interested in their project. For participants, the Fringe is an opportunity for exposure, experience, and income. To participate, visit the website for information about how to apply. This year's festival is August 16 - 23.

The Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation (COCGF) reminds that scholarship applications are due on Tuesday, May 31 to attend the seventh annual Crown Guitar Workshop held on August 28 - Sept. 4. Students, teachers and performers of all ages who reside in Flathead, Lake, Sanders, Missoula, and Ravalli counties are eligible to apply for the scholarship. The workshop will be held at Flathead Lake Lodge in Bigfork, MT. Applications will be accepted through Tuesday May 31 with scholarship awards announced on Wednesday, June 15. Please call 855-855-5900 for more information, or click the link below to visit online.

The scholarship provides a rare opportunity to study with a roster of premier guitarists who will be teaching and performing as Artists in Residence during the week-long event.

During March and April the Weaver Room gallery will house works by MSU Graduate Students. This mixed media group show will feature several student artists with work ranging from ceramics, painting and lithography. The show opened March 11 and will run through April 22. A closing reception will be held, date TBD.

The spring and summer education schedule is out and registration is open.

If you're out and about in L.A. this weekend - Echo Park, the beach, downtown - and come across a bunch of hula-hooping adults dressed like extras from Back to the Future Part II
, chances are you've stumbled upon Hoopurbia, an international "urban hooping" festival that has descended on L.A. this year after setting up in Berlin and Prague in years past. Watch the video here...

More Evidence of the Psychological Benefits of Choral Singing

Newly published research finds evidence that "the well-being benefits afforded by choral singing could be distinct in comparison with other leisure activities." The synchronistic physical activity of choristers appears to create an unusually strong bond, giving members the emotionally satisfying experience of temporarily "disappearing" into a meaningful, coherent body.

When you become a member of the Missoula Cultural Council, you support all of our wonderful events and our creative community. As a member, you demonstrate a shared commitment to our mission. Most importantly, your contribution helps to ensure the future of the arts in our community. Whether you share a passion for the performing arts, visual arts, or the humanities, Missoula Cultural Council has it all. But we can't do it without your help.
Join us today!